Excuses

Ok, so the awesome quote that I'm dying to share is, “One who wants something will find a way, one who doesn't will find an excuse”. And with that said, I'm not trying to make excuses, but I am so sorry for my lack of posts. I'll go ahead and throw my excuse out there...we've had a house full of family here for the past few days. Seven members of my husband's family came out from CA to visit us and they all stayed with us. We had eleven people in our house!! And to my surprise it went great and with no drama. Yay! It was a wonderful visit and one that showed me how amazing and important it is to have a tight family with a very strong faith in the Lord.

If anyone is wondering how my training and diet are going, I'm excited to say “great!”. I met with an awesome friend who is also a personal trainer last weekend and that time together, along with a new work out, was exactly what I needed to light the fire in my spirit once again. So, I went from considering bowing out of the big fitness fashion show last Friday night to a renewed energy and excitement to bring my A game to the show instead! So, my diet has been squeaky clean since Saturday morning, I'm back to two cardio sessions every day and I started my new work outs on Monday and am sore and loving it! Going forward, I promise to ditch my excuses and find a way to make my dreams happen, one day at a time.

Burn Baby Burn

Again, here I am singing and being inspired to write because of a song! Whatever works, right?! I'm sitting here laughing because I just finished yet another load of laundry. But this load of laundry is extra special because in it are my “fat pants” that I have chosen to wear and feel comfortable in for the past two months or so. I admit that they are not the most flattering things I could choose to wear, but I currently and unfortunately don't find anything flattering about the body I am sporting and just can't get myself to don any of my super cute workout wear. Even though I have two brand new pair of work out shoes that Santa brought that are still sitting in my closet waiting until I feel “cute enough” to sport with my hip workout clothes. Anyway, I am laughing as I fold my fat pants (yet again since I have only one pair and must wash them often!) and sing the old Bee Gees song Disco Inferno because really the only part of the lyrics that I recall are “burn, baby, burn”! I can't tell you how many times over the past couple of months my wonderfully sweet friends have threatened to steal my fat pants and burn them. And I had to chuckle a couple weekends ago when my family went ice skating and I came out of my room wearing a pair of jeans and my husband said, “Thank God you ditched the fat pants for a few hours!”. Are they really that bad y'all?! LOL. Yep, I can see all of you nodding your heads and saying “now that you mention it, I do hate those pants!”. It's all good.  Am I going to have to start hiding my beloved pants for fear that they may mysteriously disappear?!

On a more serious note, let's talk about burning fat. I'm frequently asked if given the choice between cardio and lifting weights, which would I choose. I have to tell you it will almost always be lifting. Of course the perfect case scenario would be to do both: fasted cardio right when I wake up in the morning followed by a weight lifting program at the gym and if time allows, a second medium intensity cardio session. But if I was short on time and had to pick one, it would be lifting. Not only do I love lifting weights because of the amazing visible transformations that can be seen in my physique, but building lean muscle mass is truly the foundation of successful fat burning. Did you know that muscle revs up your metabolism? Did you know that muscle even burns fat while you are sleeping? How cool is that?! Here's a quote from Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., director of research at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, "For every 3 pounds of muscle you build you'll burn an extra 120 calories a day -- just vegging -- because muscle takes more energy to sustain”. Over the course of a year, that's about 10 pounds of fat -- without even changing your diet. Yes, please. I'm sure everyone who has met with a personal trainer at the gym has been shown the two huge rubbery blobs, one representing fat and the other representing muscle. They both weigh the same, but the muscle blob is much smaller. So, when and if you start a weight lifting program and you don't see actual weight loss on the scale, do not be discouraged. Muscle weighs more than fat. Think of it this way...It takes up less space in your jeans! LOL. Happy lifting!

Choices

So I had to stop and laugh last week as I was wishing Dillon a great day at school and telling him to “make good choices today, ok buddy?”. Am I a good example of making good choices? Do I heed my own advice? If I expect my seven year old to make good choices, then why shouldn't I expect myself to also make good choices? It's so easy to blame others when we don't make good choices. Several weeks ago I found myself whining to a male friend at the gym about how my hubby makes it so very hard for me when he constantly wants and asks for non-healthy foods and snacks and when he chooses not to come to the gym with me. Ever. He put me in my place by saying, “Oh come on, my wife has never set foot in this place and I work here and work out here! That's no excuse!”. So true. And even though my hubby makes my healthy choices a tad more difficult for me, I should still respect his “choices” even though they aren't exactly what I'd wish for. It's definitely not easy, but it's still my choice to rise above or succumb to my surroundings.

Here is something from a friend's fb page that hit home for me this week (yes, that's you Robert!): " You are the ANSWER. No matter what is going on around you, that which is in you determines how far you go. I personally don't engage in activities in which I can blame anyone or anything but myself. I realize I was born with the ability to choose what I think, how I act, the way I treat others, and my attitude. Take a long look at yourself, determine what you want your life to be and just go get it". RDP

Find Your Center

Put God in the center and everything else will come together.

I got that from a little business card that someone gave me years ago and I've had it pinned on my motivational bulletin board ever since. It's made me think a lot lately. Last June when I started my venture into training for a figure competition, one of the first things I did was I pulled out this Daily Devotional for Dieters Journal that I had purchased many years ago. I had started it once (in pencil of course), but got off track and forgot about it for so long that I eventually went back and erased all of my journaling and told myself that one day in the future when I was ready to take my diet more seriously I would rely on the devotional and use it to its fullest. Well last June I was finally in the right frame of mind to take my diet and exercise routine more seriously and to the next level, so it only made sense that I would pull out and rely daily on my devotional. It became part of my 5am routine. I woke up, put on my exercise clothes, brushed my teeth and headed to “mom's room”. Before I would jump on the elliptical or check my email on my phone, I would always first open my devotional and read the scripture and story for the day. Then I felt ready to hop on the elliptical where I could spend time thinking about what I had read and ponder how it related to me and my current situation. I would end my 45-60 minute cardio session with quiet prayer time and then write my thoughts in my devotional. It was a beautiful start to each day and always put me in the right frame of mind to help me get through another day. When you are training for the stage, some days are much harder than others. I recall some days waking up and feeling happy and full of energy. I also recall some days where I would “hit a wall” by about 10am where my legs would feel like heavy logs, but I knew I had to get through my work outs and through my crazy cooking sessions because there were weeks at a time where I ate tilapia, asparagus and brown rice for 5 of my 6 meals in a day!  Or Tuesdays and Thursdays when I would be teaching preschool and would agonize over the fact that I had to walk up the stairs with those logs to go and use the restroom.  And some days that I would actually be in my pajamas by 4pm and sitting on the couch marveling at the fact that I was sitting and not “doing” (Most of you that know me know that I cannot sit still or even stand still for more than two minutes! Yes, adult ADD!). As I reflect on those times, I know that I got through each day because I started my day with God first and in the center of my world. So, when my November competition fell through, I slumped into a funk and I let everything go. Not just my diet, but my morning God time. And you know, without putting God in the center of my world, my world seemed to fall apart around me so that the only thing left in the center was me. And that's a lonely and depressing place to be. So, along with my healthy resolutions that I started on January 1^st, I also put God back in the center of my world and we start off each morning together once again. And my journal that was well used from June through October has started a new page on January 1^st. Each day is new and different, easy or hard, fun or depressing, willpower or a lack of. But I know that with God all things are possible and that life is a giant circle. And when we put God in the center, everything else will come together.

Believe

So, I stepped on the scale this morning not anticipating magic (like 5 pounds overnight, LOL!), but I was totally and completely discouraged and disappointed to see the same exact number staring back at me. And yea, yea, I know muscle weighs more than fat, but really?! Not even 1/2 a pound?! I gathered some “I'm not gonna let this get me down” attitude and busted a sweat through my morning cardio session anyway. Had some yummy scrambled egg beaters with my brown rice (which I have cut down from ½ cup to 1/3 cup in hopes of seeing some progress) and ½ of a grapefruit. I told myself that I just had to keep going and not give up even though I really felt like it. So I got me and my big booty to the gym and instantly began sulking as I walked by the new poster hanging in the window of the Spinning room that read “I Can See the Finish Line”. All I could think to myself is what freaking finish line? What light at the end of the tunnel? My scale has not moved since last Friday. Do I really have it in me to revisit my diet already and make it more strict or to add in a second cardio session this early in? Then I prayed that God would give me the strength to get through my work out and as I looked up God sent me a very clear message, printed on the front of some random woman's shirt, one word...BELIEVE.

One For the Road

So tomorrow we are headed to Houston. My hubby is there now so that he can get a good night of rest as he has round two of all day interviews tomorrow. This is where my Plan B will come into play. My 6 Pack Fitness food bag will be earning it's worth once again. It's my true companion each and every day, but it'll be stuffed to the gills for the weekend excursion. I've baked my home made protein cakes this week and they are individually wrapped and ready for the road. I've got stacks of my airtight containers full of boiled chicken, brown rice, veggies and my delicious oatmeal/Myofusion mix. So, although I'll be away from the luxuries of home, I can still stick with a clean diet. I'm also excited that we are staying at the same hotel that we stayed at the last time, so I know that the gym there is sufficient enough for my Saturday morning cardio session followed by my bis and tris work out. So, I'm not gonna miss a beat! It's supposed to be beautiful in Houston all weekend, so I've also got all of our roller blades packed. I look forward to some outdoor fun!

I had to chuckle today as I was talking to my awesome preschool class about having a Can Do attitude. We were working on a project to strengthen their fine motor skills and some were finding it difficult to string Cheerio's onto their piece of string. Many of them were saying “I can't....”. It was awesome because by the end of the project they were all saying “Ms. Megan, I can do it!”. And what joy and pride seeped out of their sweet little faces! It made me wonder if I always have the Can Do attitude. Do you have a Can Do attitude? Instead of saying I can't, try saying I can and you'll be pleasantly amazed at the successes you'll have just by having the right Can Do attitude! I'm relying on this attitude to help me get through this weekend. And I know I can!

Why Not Me?

Hmmm, isn't that an old country song? Seems like it. And I haven't been able to get the tune out of my head all day! Lately I've been taking shots at myself I guess you could say. I'm one of hundreds of lucky girls that got chosen, yes chosen, to be a model in an upcoming fitness fashion show to benefit breast cancer. How exciting is that?! Let me tell you, it's very exciting for me! It's really like a dream come true, so why I chose to sabotage myself from October through December I have no idea. But here I am totally excited and working hard to get back into awesome shape for the show that takes place on March 17^th. And if I ever have the guts to tell anyone about being chosen for this fashion show, I don't speak very positively about myself. Usually it goes something like this...”yep, there will be amazing pros there like Monica Brant (my fitness hero), Dave Goodin, Adela Garcia. And then on that list of fitness models is my name, Megan Coty.” Like I'm not worthy to be a part of that list of pros who are stars in my eyes. But why not? Everyone starts somewhere, right? Monica wasn't born a pro figure competitor. She worked very hard and followed her dreams and didn't stop until she made it and she's still a huge figure in the fitness world. In fact, she has been competing since at least 1991 that I know of and although she placed 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd in many of her competitions, she also placed 9^th, 7^th, 6^th in many as well. But she never gave up. That is so inspiring and shows such drive and determination. And shows that I too can strive to be my best and to not give up, even with this big set back.

All along I've known that there was going to be a special preview party sometime in January, but I knew I wouldn't be ready to make an appearance. However, I just got the invite to the private party and photo shoot and it isn't until Feb 5^th, so I've been given an opportunity or a gift if you will, an extra week to shed some fat and build some more muscle! So, I'm trying to be optimistic and will see what progress I can make. I still don't think that I can be photo shoot worthy in 2 & ½ weeks, but just in case, I took the plunge today and made myself a hair appointment for the Wednesday before the party. If I'm not ready, then I'll just call and move my appointment to the week before the actual fashion show. Here's to being optimistic and positive and to working hard rather than continuing to kick myself for setting myself up to possibly miss out on an exciting preview party that could have some great exposure to some wonderful opportunities. Moving forward....because the past does not define you, the present does. (ActiveInspiration.com)